Inside Furman is published monthly during the school year by the Furman University Department of Marketing and Public Relations. For story ideas, e-mail John Roberts, editor.
Change on the way
To college students today an electric typewriter is a model T.
They do not recall a time before cell phones. All came of age on the Internet, masters of the keyboard before cursive.
In a fast-changing, information-driven economy, technology is becoming a common thread that is being woven throughout the fabric of our society. For college students, often on the cutting edge of cultural change, information technology – cell phones, Internet, text messaging – is not a luxury. It's a requirement, says Dave Steinour, who joined the university this fall as chief information officer.
“The expectations that students have coming to college have changed dramatically,” he says. “We have to change with them.”
And Steinour, former vice provost of information technology at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania , is making plans for some big changes that will impact both his department and student learning.
With a goal of partnering with faculty to integrate technology throughout the curriculum, Steinour hopes to add several “instructional designers” to the staff next year.
The designers, accomplished in teaching and information technology, would help faculty create innovative ways to use technology in the classroom. An instructional designer for the English Department, for example, would have a Ph.D. in English and a substantial background in information technology. The designer would assist English faculty – and those in related departments – in finding creative ways to redesign their courses and use technology to enhance learning.
During the 1990s many colleges and universities allocated tremendous resources to developing their computer networks. Today, many are wrestling with ideas about how these networks can be put to use in a learning environment.
Steinour sites the Center for Collaborative Learning and Communication and the Modern Language and Literatures Language Resource Center as areas where technology is being used in creative ways at Furman to enhance learning.
“We are primed to take the next step,” he says.
As the university is undergoing an exhaustive review of the curriculum with an eye toward making significant long-term changes, Steinour arrives at an opportune time.
“This is a process that is just beginning. We are looking to give it some structure,” he said. “It's going to be a process that will evolve as the course curriculum review process evolves.”
As vice provost of information technology at Gettysburg , Steinour managed all aspects of information technology. Prior to that, he was MIS PeopleSoft project manager (1999-2001) and senior system administrator (1986-1993) at Gettysburg . His experience in higher education includes serving Mount Saint Mary's College in Maryland as director of networking and information services (1993-1997) and director of information technology (1997-1999
Steinour has a B.S. degree from Mount St. Mary's College and is currently enrolled in the Executive MBA program at the University of Maryland University College.
He says the university's work environment and administrative structure attracted him to Furman.
“The President's Council (a group of top administrators and faculty that gather frequently to discuss university issues and set policy) is a real strong cabinet,” says Steinour. “I am very glad to be part of this. There is much collaboration here. Departments do not work in silos. They work together to solve problems.”